Vehicle-elevator.



PATENTED mzcyza, 1906.

' H. M.- NIGHOLLS.

VEHICLE ELEVATOR. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 5, 1906 THE 4mm: PETERS cm, WASHINOION, D. c.

vrrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VEHICLE-ELEVATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 25, 1906.

Application filed February 5 ,-1906. Serial No. 299,634.

To all whom/it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HARVEY M. NIOHOLLS,

a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of'San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new, and useful Im rovementsin Vehicle-Elevators; "and I do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled inthe art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates'to vehicle-elevators. I

Theprime objects of my invention are to provide a simple, inexpensive, and durable device .by means of which vehicles of every size and variety can be readily and easily elevated sufliciently to enable the wheels thereof to turn free from the ground for purposes of washing, painting, repairing, or

other manipulatlon.

The locking and retaining of the device in the elevated position is accomplished automatically, while the lowering is accomplished by thereleasing of a simple ratchet and the vehicle brought to the ground without the least'danger of jarring.

In carrying out my invention I have not overlooked the requisites of economy in the cost of manufacture and have provided a device which will-appeal to stablemen, carriage and wagon painters, and manufacturers and owners of vehicle-repositories.

The invention more particularly resides in the novel combination, construction, and

arrangement of parts, all as more fully hereinafter described, and set forth in the claims and illustrated in the accompanying draw ings, in which- Figure 1 1s a side elevation of the. complete device, the broken lines indicating the position of the members when elevated. Fig. 2

is'a top view. Fig. 3 is a transverse section.

- taken on theline X X of Fig; 1'.

In the drawings, A and A represent side pieces suitably united into a rigid structure by the braces B and forming a base to sup- --port the elevator-carriage E. The base is provided with the respective front and :rear inclines C C, on which the respective front andrear wheels D D of the elevator-carriage E are adapted to run. The rear inclines -or tracks C are made-considerably"flatter than the front inclines for the purposehereinafter to be described. The top side bars orbed of the elevator-carriage E, extend forward of the front wheels D, as shown at E. Thelength of these extensions E depends on the size of the elevator or the length of the'body of the vehicle or vehicles to be lifted.

On the top of the elevator-carriage and near its rear end are the pivoted bars I, which may be turned so as to have their outer ends extend more or lessabove the level of the top of the elevator and held in position by suitable means, as the crowbar a. Normally the elevator will rest with the wheels D D at the foot of the respective inclines C C. The elevator is adapted to be held andlocked atany suitable point on these inclines by appropriate means, as the pawl-lever F, which is hinged to and carried by the elevator-carriage-and is adapted normally, when the ele vator is being lifted, to ride loose over a fixed stop-bar G.

- In operation the hinged bars or sto s I are adjusted to the proper height and hel by suitable means, as the cross-bar a, so that when the wagonis backed over the elevator, as is contemplated by the resent invention, the rear axle of the vehic e, which, as well known, is usually higher from the ground d there than the front axle, will come in contact with the'stops I close to their raisedends and approximately over the axle of the wheels D of the elevator-carriage. Sufficient momentum being given to the vehicle in backing it over the elevator, the latter as soon as the hinged stops I are engaged by the rear axle will move along with the vehicle, radually lifting the rear wheel of the vehicle clear of the floor or ground. It is not intended that the carriageshall enga e the front axle of the vehicle simultaneous y with the lifting of the rear wheels of the vehicle. It is therefore manifest that with the wheels D running up the relatively fiat inclines O the oWer necessary to lift the rear end of the ve 'cle is comparatively slight and is scarcely appreciable. The more abrupt front inclinations C, on which the front rollers D of the elevator-carriage run, simply serve to bring the elevator in contact with the front axle of the vehicle and lift the front end of the vehicle when the rear wheelsof the vehicle have been sufficiently elevated from the ground. It is to be understood that the amount that a vehicle is to be lifted is very slight, being just .sufficient to enable the wheels to revolve or to be taken off. Most of the lifting is done i done easily by reason of the momentum already attained by the moving parts. The pivoted stop-bars I are made adjustable, so as to dispose them always in proper operative relation with respect to the rear aXle of the vehicle to be elevated, and so throw the weight at the most advantageous point on the elevator. The rack-arm F having been released from the keeper H and being carried along by the moving elevator rides over the stop G until the elevator and vehicle are brought'to a standstill, whereupon the teeth in the rack engage the stop G and hold the carriage and vehlcle in appropriate elevated position. The latter can now be Washed to good advantage, repaired, greased, painted, or otherwise manipulated at will. When it is desired to let the vehicle down, it is only necessary to give a slight lift on rack F to disengage the stop G', the rack being caught and held in the hook H. A guide strap or bar J is arranged over the front aXle of the elevator-wheels D and parallel with the inclines C and is for the purpose of preventing the back end of the elevator kicking up in case the front axle of the vehicle engages the elevator so far on the front side of the front wheels D as to unbalance the elevator. The guidebar J keeps the Wheels of the elevator on their tracks all the time.

In the actual use of a machine built and operated according to the foregoing descrip tion and the accompanying drawings I have found all of the advantages above enumerated, one man being able to lift a heavy wagon entirely clear of the ground.

It is possible that various modifications and changes may be made in construction without departing from the principle of the invention.

' Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A wagon-lift comprising two inclined trackways, an elevator-carriage having front and rear wheels running on said trackways, the front wheels running on the one track and the rear wheels thereof on the other, and means carried by the carriage for locking and holding the latter at any desired point.

2. A vehicle-elevator consisting of two inclined roadways, a frame provided with forward and rear wheels, said forward wheels being arranged to rest on one of said roadways while the rear wheels rest on the other roadway, and means for automatically retaining said frame at various points relative to said roadways.

3. A vehicle-elevator comprising two inclined roadways of relatively different pitch, and a carriage mounted to travel simultaneously on both of said trackways.

4. A vehicle-elevator comprising two inclined roadways of relatively different pitch,

a carriage mounted to travel simultaneously on both of said trackways, and means operative by the movements of the carriage for locking the latter at different points along said roadways.

5. .A vehicle-elevator comprising two inclined roadways of relatively different pitch, a carriage mounted to travel simultaneously on both of said trackways, means operative by the movements of the carriage for locking the latter at different points along said roadways, said last-named means comprising a hinged rack-bar on the carriage, and a fixed stop engageable by the rack-bar.

6. A vehicle-lift comprising an incline sup port, a carriage movable on said support and operative by the vehicle to be elevated, and means carried by the carriage for automatically holding the carriage at different elevations.

7 A vehicle-lift comprising an incline sup port, a carriage to travel on the incline of said support, said carriage having an ad justable stop engageable by the vehicle to be lifted and adapted to cause said carriage to move with the vehicle, and means for automatically holding the carriage at different elevations.

8. A vehicle-lift consisting of forward and rear inclined roadways, said roadways being of relatively different pitch, a frame provided with forward and rear wheels, said wheels being arranged to travel on said respective roadways, and adjustable hinged stop-bars carried by the frame and arranged to be adjusted in elevation relative thereto.

9. A vehicle-lift consisting of forward and rear inclined roadways, said roadways being of relatively different pitch, a frame provided with forward and rear wheels, said wheels being arranged to travel on said respective roadways, and adjustable hinged stop-bars carried by the frame and arranged to be ad justed in elevation relative thereto and dis posed on the frame adjacent to the roadway which is of flatter )itch.

10. A vehicle-li 't consisting of forward and rear inclined roadways, said roadways being of relatively different pitch, a frame provided with forward and, rear wheels, said wheels be- .mg arranged. to travel on said respective roadways, adjustable hinged stop-bars carried by the frame and arranged to be adjusted in elevation relative thereto and disposed on the frame adjacent to the roadway which is of flatter pitch, and means for automatically retaining the frame at various elevations on the roadways.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HARVEY M. NICHOLLS.

Witnesses:

MARTIN ARoNsoHN, ELIZ. KINcAIn.

IIO 

